“ Michael Coutts-Trotter is one of the most senior bureaucrats in NSW, in charge of the state's court system and prisons. He's married to Tanya Plibersek, one of Labor's most prominent and powerful figures. He is also a convicted heroin smuggler.
Justice Department secretary Michael Coutts-Trotter's story is a rare account of rehabilitation and absolution in Australian public life, a journey he lays bare in a podcast released today.
“There were vicious assaults and bashings by prisoners on prisoners, there were sexual assaults," he says. "You know that old [saying] about war - 90 per cent boredom, 10 per cent terror - it was pretty much like that."
Michael Coutts-Trotter's journey from drug smuggler to head of the justice system
Trump Again Tries to Block Subpoena for Taxes, Calling It ‘Wildly Overbroad’:
President Trump on Monday mounted his most forceful and detailed legal attack yet on the subpoena for his tax returns by the Manhattan district attorney, arguing the request was “wildly overbroad” and “issued in bad faith,” a new court filing shows.
Horticulture giants warn fruit and vegetable prices could rise due to labour shortage
The horticulture industry fears its backpacker workforce could crumble due to the pandemic, leading to a jump in fruit and vegetable prices.
The titans of tech had their day of reckoning. Now what?
The chief executives of Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Google were grilled about their anti-competitive activities by a US congressional committee.
San Fran Pays Whistleblower $400K After Retaliation From Progressive Prosecutor.
The city of San Francisco was forced to pay a whistleblower $400,000 after former district attorney and prominent progressive prosecutor George Gascón repeatedly targeted him in a “pattern of retaliation and harassment.”
Henry McKenzie served as a senior investigator under Gascón when the latter was the San Francisco district attorney, but was fired in October 2017 after, McKenzie claimed, he reported Gascón to the TSA for bringing a firearm on flights. Gascón also placed McKenzie on a so-called Brady list, meaning McKenzie’s credibility would always be in question at trial—a decision McKenzie called an effort to destroy his career.
The settlement may be ammo for moderate Los Angeles district attorney Jackie Lacey, who is running a tight race against the ultra-progressive Gascón. Their race is widely perceived as a bellwether for efforts to install progressives in district attorneys’ offices across the country, a project of the criminal justice reform movement funded by liberal billionaire George Soros.
It’s a Soros-sponsored DA in St. Louis going after the McCloskeys for defending their own property.
Roberta Mann (Oregon), I Robot: U Tax? Considering the Tax Policy Implications of Automation, 64 McGill L.J. 1 (2019)
In a 2017 interview, Microsoft founder Bill Gates recommended taxing robots to slow the pace of automation. Funds raised could be used to retrain and financially support displaced workers. Up to 47 percent of U.S. jobs are at risk by advancements in artificial intelligence. Low-wage workers currently hold a majority of those at-risk jobs. Increased automation is likely to exacerbate income inequality.
'They have too much power': Tech CEOs face heated questioning in Congress
The chief executives faced near-constant criticism from both Democrats and Republicans, but for different reasons.
Bizarre - Fortescue hits export record for iron ore, driven by demand from China
The mining giant's shipments of iron ore from Australia hit an all-time high in the past year and could grow even further in 2021 as the company projects demand from Chinese steel mills to outstrip global supplies.
'Window dressing': As the pandemic forced layoffs, CEOs gave up little
When the pandemic prompted US companies to furlough or lay off thousands of employees, some chief executives decided to show solidarity by foregoing some of their pay. But it turns out that their sacrifice was minimal.
Jeff Bezos To Washington: ‘My Dad’s Name Is Miguel. He Adopted Me When I Was 4’NPR. You were lucky.
Absentee Ownership: How Amazon, Facebook, and Google Ruin Commerce Without Noticing Matt Stoller, BIG. And speaking of absentee landlords, there was that AirBnB “party house” in New Jersey the other day. 700 people….
Google’s Top Search Result? Surprise! It’s Google The Markup. Google turning itself into a walled garden
Online Bar Exams Come With Face Scans, Bias Concerns (1) Bloomberg. And crashes
US Treasuries: the lessons from March’s market meltdown FT
Three Gorges Dam under fast mounting flood pressure Asia Times
China woos Asean neighbours in bid to avoid US-led coalition on its doorstepSCMP. The word “water” does not appear.
Australia Abandons Its Neutrality on the South China Sea Maritime Disputes The Diplomat